What Skills Are Necessary in Becoming a Scientist or Engineer?

I have been amazed in watching the Science Crew (scientists and TowCam engineers) operate this week.  With any challenge that is presented, they work as a team to make minor adjustments, troubleshoot, and correct any issues that may arise. That got me thinking…what skills or characteristics are important in becoming an engineer or a scientist?

I surveyed the Science Crew, and based on their responses, have developed a list of skills important for scientists and engineers:

1. Have a positive attitude.
2. Be an excellent student. Learn to think independently.
3. Be a good writer.
4. Communicate well with others.
5. Develop analytical thinking skills.
6. Volunteer or become familiar with resources, like labs, museums, or other scientific institutions.
7. Develop strong math skills.
8. Develop computer skills or computer programming skills.
9. Perseverance: If you make a mistake you can’t get down about it. You have to pick yourself up and try again.
10. Curiosity: If you are curious, you’ll be passionate about what you’re studying, and will be able to communicate that to others. If you’re passionate, you will persevere and work through the challenges.

 

During my Teacher at Sea experience, I have had the opportunity to observe the Science Crew during many different activities. Below are some skills or characteristics that I have seen exhibited by the scientists and engineers involved in this research expedition.

1. Work as a team.
2. Cooperate: Get along with others.
3. Be tenacious and persevere; be steadfast, never give up.
4. Look at things from different perspectives; think “outside of the box.”
5. Listen to and respect other people’s ideas.
6. Focus on the task at hand.
7. Think things through before jumping in.
8. Come up with hypotheses or solutions and test them. If the solution doesn’t work, try another one.

As science teachers, we try to instill these traits in our students in the classroom. Whether it is completing a group project, conducting a lab, or taking notes, there is always opportunity to improve our science and engineering skills.

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day to those fathers and male role models on board the FSV Henry Bigelow! And to my own Father, for teaching me, “The sky is the limit.” Or in this case, the ocean. I’ll be smashing a cup for you at the bottom of the ocean!

Dolphins swimming with the ship are considered good luck!

Dolphins swimming beside the ship

Engineering Spotlight: Ben Pietro

Ben Pietro grew up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and has spent a great deal of time around the water. After obtaining a degree in

Ben Pietro, Engineering Assistant III and TowCam Pilot with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Education from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, Mr. Pietro acquired a job with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).  No doubt his experience in working with boats in Cape Cod gave him practical skills necessary for his position at WHOI today.

Currently, Mr. Pietro is an Engineering Assistant III. He designs, fabricates, and deploys surface moorings, and spends four to five months out on the water each year.

When asked what he enjoyed most about his job, Mr. Pietro responded, “There is always something new going on…Things are always changing.” He is always creating new things to help meet the needs of scientists involved in ocean exploration.

During the Canyons CSI Research Expedition, Mr. Pietro has been playing a major role in working with TowCam.  He is involved with the deployment and recovery of TowCam, and is one of three engineers on the cruise that is qualified to pilot TowCam. From an observer’s standpoint, this seems to be no easy task, since there are multiple variables that must be taken into account, and pictures are taken every ten seconds instead of having a live video feed. The pilot must rely on data feeds, such as altimetry and depth, and their knowledge of bathymetry and the ocean, in order to safely steer TowCam throughout the water column.

In the future, Mr. Pietro would like to become a better and more efficient engineer. He wants to learn more, continue to improve his drawing skills using CAD, and design new programs.

You’re Going on a Cruise for Vacation!?

“You get to go on a two-week cruise for vacation!”

One of the many data-filled screens that Erich, Ben, and Tim use to pilot TowCam.

This is the misconception that some people had, when I told them initially that I would be participating as a Teacher at Sea.  On a vacation cruise and a research cruise, participants stay an extended period of time on the ocean, and they receive three meals a day.  That is pretty much the end of the similarities between these types of cruises.  During a scientific research expedition, there is a mission to accomplish. For example, this trip is examining sites that are known or predicted to be deep-sea coral and sponge habitats.

Many multibeam bathymetric maps are consulted to find the most suitable sites to investigate. Bathymetric maps are similar to topographic maps with the exception that bathymetry applies to the topography of the ocean floor. Most of the major structure-forming deep-sea corals are found on hard substrate. Thus, areas of soft sediment are not the most likely places to find the majority of coral species, however many other organisms like brittle stars and anemones, may be found there.

There is a lot of preparation that goes into planning and coordinating a research “cruise.” The Chief Scientist must put in a request for a research vessel, and must assemble a science crew that has the skills and research interests that align with the research mission. In the months leading up to the research trip, the science party will discuss specific science objectives, protocols and potential study sites. Every participant must receive medical clearance, which includes having a TB (tuberculosis) test, and a recent tetanus vaccination.

The Chief Scientist, with input from the science team, determines which areas of the ocean to examine, and what type of technology to use to explore the ocean. Weather and waves may prevent some of the “dives” from taking place. Safety first – the conditions must be safe enough for the TowCam operators and deck crew to be outside during deployment as they lower TowCam safely into the ocean.

During TowCam deployments, many things must be done to make the dive successful. The Chief Scientist selects several points (waypoints) along a survey line within a canyon. These points help guide the ship during the TowCam deployment.  To get TowCam into the water requires a lot of communication and coordination of efforts. The winch operator and deck crew are responsible for getting TowCam into the water. The winch operator is in constant contact with the TowCam pilot and  controls the wire that lowers TowCam into the water. At a certain depth, the control is passed to the TowCam pilot in the lab who uses a joystick to lower the camera to the ocean floor.  The pilot and the Bridge are in constant communication during the dive. The Bridge controls the ship and follows the track for the survey. The TowCam pilot analyzes data displayed on several computer monitors in order to make the most informed decisions as they guide the camera through the water column by moving TowCam and up and down in the water column.  In addition, a variety of data are collected during the deployment.  I have been logging data during the night shift deployments. I help keep track of variables  such as depth, winch wire tension, latitude, longitude, and altimeter readings along the survey track.  All this information will be invaluable to scientists examining the data collected during this research cruise.

 

Entering data into the TowCam data log

 

Personal Log

At Crest Middle School, we try to teach our students critical thinking skills: think for themselves, make informed decisions, gather data, predict, and draw conclusions. This research trip is a prime example of how skills that students acquire in school will be beneficial for them in the future. When completing a task such as logging data, I have to decide what the important events are that have occurred in the TowCam dive, and to phrase those items in a way that others will understand.

 

 

 

Did You Know?

TowCam is about the size of a refrigerator. It has one large high-resolution camera that takes pictures every 10 seconds. It also has a CTD, which records conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth. TowCam also carries several Niskin bottles, used for water collection at depth and a slurp pump that pulls sediment from the ocean floor into a container for later analyses.

Sunset from the Ship

Scientist Spotlight: Dr. Liz Shea

Dr. Shea is from Wilmington, Delaware, where she is the Curator of Mollusks at the Delaware Museum of Natural History. In this role, Dr. Shea manages collections and conducts research. There are over 250,000 mollusks in collections including snails, clams, and cephalopods. She received her Bachelor’s degree from William and Mary, her Master’s from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College.

Dr. Shea recording data at the first TowCam investigation site.

While working on her Master’s degree, Dr. Shea conducted her research on squid paralarvae (very small hatchlings), but recently has been more involved in collecting deep-sea squids and octopods. Her recent work includes using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology to examine morphological characters that will help distinguish between species.   Through Dr. Shea’s research, scientists are now able to identify cirrate octopod hatchlings to the genus level.

Dr. Shea has always been interested in the ocean. While at the beach as a child, she enjoyed looking at creatures from the ocean. As an undergraduate student, Shea held an internship at the Smithsonian Institution, and worked with several scientists who studied cephalopods, mollusks such as octopus, squid, and Nautilus. During her internship, her mentors impressed upon her that there is still much left to learn about cephalopods, and plenty of research still to be done.

Additionally, Dr. Shea has volunteered in the past to lead 5^th grade students in a squid dissection. One unique thing Dr. Shea liked to teach the children is that there are many ways in which an organism’s body might be organized.

Dr. Shea tries to go on one research cruise per year. For Dr. Shea, these types of cruises are, “Always the highlight of my year.”

Out to Sea

We will be pulling out of port this morning heading toward the first Canyons CSI investigation site. The research that we are conducting is very important to oceanic ecosystems. As we discover new habitats for deep sea corals, that information and location will be relayed to NOAA so that those sites can be protected from incurring any damage.